The present invention relates to a device for diagnostic purposes for use with imaging technologies such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (“MRI”) Computerized Tomography (“CT Scan”) or x-rays.
Traditionally, when a patient is examined using either a conventional MRI unit or a CT Scan unit, and regularly when a patient is examined using an x-ray unit, the patient is placed in a supine, relaxed and mobile position. Such positioning of the patient compromises the effectiveness of the MRI unit, CT Scan unit and x-ray unit as diagnostic tools and causes various problems several of which are discussed below.
A significant problem for technicians operating MRIs, CT Scans and x-rays is that patients regularly move during the imaging process. Such unwanted movements cause blurred or otherwise unreadable images and, consequently, require that new images be taken each time a patient's movements cause such problems. This repetition of the diagnostic procedure doubles the amount of time required to obtain images for diagnosis. It also doubles the costs of the diagnostic procedure which causes increased costs to health care providers and ultimately increases the overall costs of health care.
Another problem encountered by technicians employing a conventional MRI unit to image a patient's hips is that the patient's feet are mobile. During imaging a patient may move his or her feet causing his or her hips to be unsuitably positioned for imaging.
Another substantial problem associated with placing patients in a relaxed and supine position during an examination of the skeleton, joints and spine using conventional MRI units, CT Scan units, or x-ray units is that the resulting diagnosis is often inaccurate. Studies have shown that the pressure placed on a patient's skeleton, joints and spine while in the relaxed supine position is significantly less than the pressures on the patient's skeleton, joints and spine while the patient is sitting, standing or walking. Therefore, when an MRI unit, CT Scan unit or x-ray unit is used to diagnose injuries and disease in a patient's skeleton, joints and spine, their effectiveness as diagnostic instruments is compromised. This occurs because the reduced pressures on the skeleton, joints and spine cannot accurately re-create the conditions existing in the skeleton, joints or spine when the patient is sitting, standing or walking. For example, conventional MRI techniques are often used in the diagnosis of lumbar disc disease or injury. Experience has shown that is not uncommon to find a disassociation between the severity of the patient's clinical symptoms and evidence of injury or disease shown through MRI imaging. This disassociation can be explained, in part, by the general inability of conventional MRI diagnosis techniques to allow the patient to be imaged while in a variety of positions, including the standing or sitting positions, to vary the intra-discal pressures and alignment of the vertebrae. The relaxed supine position, in which all conventional MRIs of the lumbar spine are performed, is associated with the lowest intra-discal pressure, and is thus not a good position to provoke disc herniation, and is thus not the optimal position for accurate disc herniation diagnosis. This same problem is experienced with the imaging and diagnosis of skeleton, joint and other spine injury or disease.
Information relevant to attempts to address the third of the above-discussed problems can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,000,399 (incorporated herein by this reference) and 5,779,733 (incorporated herein by this reference). However, each one of these references suffers from one or more of the following disadvantages: the apparatus and method is awkward to operate which may cause the incorrect use of the apparatus or the failure to use the apparatus; the apparatus and method is not sophisticated enough to predictably and controllably exert pressure on the spine; the apparatus comprises materials which compromise or affect the accuracy or operation of an MRI unit; the apparatus and method do not immobilize the patient; the apparatus and method are not made for use in CT Scan units or x-ray units.
Accordingly, it is a purpose of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for the substantial immobilization of either a portion or substantially all of a patient's body during imaging with either a conventional MRI unit, CT Scan unit or x-ray unit.
It is a further purpose of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for the immobilization of a patient's feet in order to maintain the patient's hips in a proper position throughout the imaging of the hips with a conventional MRI unit.
Accordingly, it is also a purpose of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for the positioning of a patient's skeleton, joints and spine for imaging with either a conventional MRI unit, CT Scan unit, or x-ray unit which allow the skeleton, joints and spine of a patient to be readily and easily placed in an orientation which may assist in the diagnosis of injured or diseased areas of each the skeleton, joints and spine by applying substantially the same pressure on each as they would experience while the patient is sitting, standing or walking.
It is a further purpose of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus which allows a patient to be readily and easily oriented for imaging with either a conventional MRI, CT Scan, or x-ray imaging device in a manner which predictably, controllably, variably and accurately applies a pressure on the skeleton, joints, and spine of the patient during the imaging process.
It is a further purpose of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus which may be utilized in connection with either MRI, CT Scan, or x-ray imaging devices of conventional construction for enhanced imaging of a patient and which do not compromise or affect the accuracy or operation of the MRI, CT Scan and x-ray imaging devices.
Thus there are multiple problems to be solved for the examination of a patient's body, skeleton, joints and spine with MRI units, CT Scan units and x-ray units.